The Fallen's Mistake
by Iridian NightShade
Summary: The adventures continue! How will all the changes affect the events of the 2nd movie as we know it? Sage and her family are going to go through some more difficult and troubling events in this sequel to The Past Always Returns.
1. Missing and Some Action

Hi guys, this is **The Fallen's Mistake**, the sequel to **The Past Always Returns, **which is the sequel to** A Change In Plans**. It would probably be best if you read those first, else ya'll will be very confused. ;p

Thanks a bunch to everyone's support, and mah lovely reviewer harem! ^^

- Until All Are One -

Summary: The adventures continue! How will all the changes affect the events of the 2nd movie as we know it? Sage and her family are going to go through some more difficult and troubling events in this sequel to **The Past Always Returns**.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Transformers, else I'd have the kiddie version, and the adult version. LOL Plus I'd not be broke right now. XD

I will have my normal notes, from **A Change In Plans**, at the bottom, instead of at the top. So Cybertronian terms are on the bottom. ^.^

Chapter Warning: Blackout and Barricade get frisky.. ;p… horny Mechs they are…

- Until All Are One -

Title: The Fallen's Mistake

Chapter One: Missing and Some Action

- Until All Are One -

_Previously from __**The Past Always Returns**__:_

The kids would continue their schooling, Mikaela's dad would be let out on parole, Sage would continue her college classes and the elusive search for Haven, as well as start tutoring Sam so he could get into a good college. Barricade would watch over his Ward, and the others, with his normal snarky attitude, Bumblebee would be his normal cheerful happy self, and Frenzy would of course torture Sam with more pranks than thought possible. The Mechs would help complete the base, watch over the Younglings and watch them continue growing at an alarming rate, send and receive messages from various Bots and a couple CORE messages that Blackout would be silent about, as well as detect and defend against various Decepticon landings. Unfortunately for the three Cons, most of them would be disbelieving of their story and would go into hiding, waiting for something, and following unknown orders. It would only be in a year's time, that something different would occur, which would start a whole new chain of events. Were they ready for the war to return? Perhaps, perhaps not, only time would tell.

- Until All Are One-

_=It has been so long, Vessel, are you convinced that you sensed the Call?= _A pair of servos lightly brushed against thick armor, the touch soft and reverent. The recipient accepted the touch for a moment, his scarlet optics focusing briefly to stare intently at the one who remained by his side through everything. Ruby optics gentled, understanding apparent as the other pulled away from his reassuring touch. The Vessel had to keep others at a distance, even his Beloved Spark; the burden he carried had a heavy price, not just on those around him. His Beloved Spark could only helplessly watch as his processors were slowly corrupted; the secret he carried deep inside his chassis was too much for his frame to tolerate. His Beloved was strong but stubborn, and despite the urgings and warnings, he refused to hand it over to another. He would always say the same thing, with his unfocused almost insane optics. _Not yet, not yet, it is not time…_

_=Yes, My Beloved. I felt her, the Mother has Called, the End is coming,=_ the Vessel looked at him, his optics focusing for the first time in vorns, the insanity clouding his processors gone for just a moment. His Beloved vented slowly, his optics shuttering.

_=It is time then?=_

_=Yes,=_

_=I will relay the message,=_ he turned away, leaving the room. For a long moment, the Vessel remained motionless, before a clawed servo touched his chassis.

_=We are coming, Little Voice, we are coming,=_

- Until All Are One-

Barricade grunted softly when he felt his Ward poke him, groggily rising from recharge to open his door and let her slip inside. He felt her affectionate strokes, before her lips pressed against his steering wheel in silent greeting. He felt his frame resettle, relaxing briefly at the knowledge she was safely ensconced inside him, protected by anything and everything. "Are you alright? You've been so tired lately,"

"Fine," he murmured, a long vent relaxing his overtaxed systems.

"Blackout wearing you out?" the slightest hint of amusement and laughter became apparent in her warm voice. He let out a noncommittal garble, his processors scanning automatically for his Bonded instinctively, almost fearfully. It wasn't as though he feared his Bonded, Primus above anyone but a select few knew how much he adored the communications technician. The last several Earth months however, he'd begun avoiding his Bonded. It certainly didn't help that nearly once a week, Sage received an irate phone call by a not-amused Major Lennox, saying Blackout had disappeared again, only for him to reappear near their location and Ping him until he finally surrendered to his demands. By the Allspark, he'd gotten more 'action' in the last couple of months, than he did in a vorn before landing on this planet! His Bonded was acting very strange, but then again, all of them were acting strangely, have been since they landed here.

"More incoming," he grunted, turning his focus onto his Ward, and away from his eccentric Bonded.

"Decepticon?"

"Affirmative," he felt her curl deeper into his seat.

"I miss them," she admitted, "I know we just had our second Christmas together, but visits every couple of months just isn't the same,"

"Your schooling is almost complete, you will be working on base soon enough," he tried to comfort, "You should enjoy your free time, once you are on Diego Garcia, you won't have as many freedoms."

"I know, you and Orion keep telling me that," Sage blew her bangs up, rolling her eyes, "but what's the point in going shopping, when I won't be needing any of those frivolous things on base?" he internally smirked, hearing her refer to girlish cosmetics/clothing in his own words. He was proud of his Ward for not being one of those annoying girls who only cared about fashion and mechs. His Ward was intelligent, and despite her flaws, was both down-to-earth and head-in-the-clouds, as the humans would say. He would never have consented to her carrying around a bag of make-up and extra clothes so she could change three times a day. Her practicality was an endearing quality of hers that he took full advantage of. She didn't have to know that he always kept an 'emergency' bag full of her things in his subspace; he liked to be prepared after all.

"Blackout has also received several CORE messages," He interrupted her slight rant about stereotypes; he really had no idea how she'd gotten onto _that_ topic.

"Oh really? What about?" she leaned forward curiously.

"Possible landings, more level threes, possibly a level two," he kept it vague, so to keep with his LCS programming, and she knew enough not to pry.

"Cool," she brightened considerably, before deflating. "They won't be like the wrecking twins, will they?" His frame shuddered briefly, thinking about the two recent arrivals. The twins, Mudflap and Skids were annoying pests in his opinion. He would admit, grudgingly, his respect for Prime, since he somehow managed to contain their behavior and tolerate them.

"Your brother's got the patience of a saint," he muttered darkly. He felt her EM field flutter, agreeing with him, twirling inside his pleasantly. She was broadcasting much more easily now, her field growing stronger under his lessons, and allowing her to send quick nonverbal messages. Her Links were also thriving, growing easily, under his and Prime's gentle touches. She could even send brief messages to Ironhide and Ratchet now, since their Creator Links to her were much stronger than they were previously.

"When's our next visit?" she asked, hopeful but wary. He hummed softly in reassurance, knowing she'll be disappointed.

"Not until May," he felt her deflate.

"It's only March 17th," she murmured, her Spark breaking. She hated being so far away from her family, from her brother, her Papa (Ironhide) and Da (Ratchet), but also her Younglings. She had missed her twins, Rewire and Surge, when they started talking, and Lift was nearly to Prime's shoulder-struts in height. Nightshade had already shown his skills and eagerness by sneaking onto the C-17s and managing to join them on simple missions. He was speaking easily now, and his armor had shifted to match Ironhide's chemical properties, making his the second-strongest armor of all the Mechs. She missed Sureshot and Terabyte too, despite them not being her Younglings, since they had also had several 'growth spurts' since she had last seen them. She felt a moment of jealousy that Arcee was spending more time with her Younglings than she was, before feeling ashamed for it. The Femme was teaching them about themselves, about their history and Cybertron, something Sage couldn't do. She got along well with her on their visits, they were tentative friends, but Mikaela had a stronger relationship with her.

"Cheer up Femmeling, or I will do _that_, again,"

"Please don't," her lips twitched, remembering the last time he had tried to 'cheer' her up. Having a very curvaceous blonde female human speaking in her Guardian's voice and tones, was far too disturbing to think about, let alone witness twice.

"Are you cheerful yet? No? Then prepare for it," Before she could beg for mercy, one of her Links Pinged, making her pause. Focusing on it, she easily identified it as Bonecrusher's, but it was vibrating strangely. "Femmeling?" She delved into her mind, not hearing his concerned calls, down into her Spark, and Pinged the Link. For a moment, he focused on her, almost caressing the Link for a long moment, before he threw an apology towards her. Not understanding his sudden apology, she nearly screamed when he suddenly, forcibly, shut the Link down. It hurt, like a piece of her had suddenly been ripped away, with only a slight thread keeping it attached. Her other Links hyper-focused on her, yanking her back from spiraling after the fleeing presence, pulling her out of the depths of her Spark, back into reality.

"Crusher! Crusher!" her panicked cries echoed in his alt, as she began pounding against his tightly shut door and window. "Cade, something's wrong with Crusher!"

"Femmeling, stop! You can't help him!"

"You don't understand! He's _hurting! We have to help him!_" she was unaware that she had slipped into basic Cybertronian, her terrified wails making her field flare out defensively. He kept his door and windows locked, wincing as she hit him more and more in her panic. Her blows weren't painful per say, her organic shell hiding her developing frame, but he was well aware that she was damaging her shell, and was at a lost as to make her stop. A sharp whistle from Frenzy, who had woken up from his nap, helped him focus his scattered processors. A sweet scent rushed out of his vents, ignored and unnoticed by her until her frame slowed and eventually submitted. His Spark broke at the tears and keens that slipped out of her, as she curled into a ball and wept. A single Ping to Blackout and the confirmation back only heightened his worry: Bonecrusher was missing.

- Until All Are One-

Major Will Lennox closed his eyes and bowed his head for just a moment, taking a few precious seconds to focus his thoughts and clear his mind. It had been relatively quiet, quite a few Decepticon landings, but they were remaining hidden for the most part. What worried him was the latest landing, and consequently Bonecrusher's sudden disappearance. Five Decepticons entered the atmosphere, shielding their signals instantly, but Bonecrusher seemed to understand and even anticipate their movements. He'd helped them develop a strategy in confronting them, but midway through settling in their positions, the Decepticons and Bonecrusher disappeared from their sight and radar. Moments after, the Bots with them flinched and grabbed their chests. Prime, Ironhide, Sideswipe, and Blackout simultaneously froze, their optics flickering, before they looked at each other. They obviously were communicating silently, the soldiers having learned to read their body language from working with them for the past year and a half.

Searching and continuing their mission only ended in everyone being disappointed; Bonecrusher and the Decepticons were gone, without a trace or hint as to what happened. On the flight back, Will and Epps had sneakily stepped to Ironhide and Sideswipe to find out what was going on, and were alarmed at what they found out. All the Mechs had reacted when Sage's Link became panic-stricken, her Link to Bonecrusher being forcibly dampened and nearly shut down permanently. In her panic, she had nearly dragged all of them deep into their Links as she tried to grasp his fleeing presence and yank him back. Since she was so inexperienced however, they had done the opposite, yanking her back and preventing her from sending herself into a self-imposed comatose state. He and Epps understood a little bit of what they had explained, understood it as serious, and separated to think things over on their own.

From what Will managed to wrap his mind around, he was aware of only a couple things. Bonecrusher knew those Decepticons, on a personal basis. He has specifically volunteered himself as bait, to draw their attention away from the soldiers and Autobots, as a diversion to supposedly allow them to flank and surround them. Bonecrusher was far too intelligent and devious for them to have underestimated him, since he'd managed to not only protect them, but slip away as well. He had sent out an apology to Sage, before forcing their Link into a dormant state so she couldn't find him, and thus limiting the others from finding him. He didn't know whether he should thank the Con for protecting his soldiers, or Taser him himself for making all of them panic and worry. First things first, however, they had to _find _him.

- Until All Are One -

A month slowly crept by, no one could locate their missing Con, and several more Decepticon landings were reported. None of the landings resulted in confrontations, instead several of them inadvertently revealed themselves as they were searching for something. It worried all of them that they were hunting for something unknown, and none of them could figure out what it was they were looking for. Will was also receiving calls from Sage, desperate for any news, and he hated disappointing her. Luckily for them both, she would willingly reassure him that yes, he was still alive, she could feel that much, although she had no idea where he was or if he was in danger. She had also taken it upon herself to reassure him that Sarah and Annabelle were fine, and his daughter was healthy and normal. After some pestering, she got Barricade to email him various pictures and home videos of his growing child and beautiful wife. It made him feel even worse when he couldn't return the favor.

Demonta had worked with Maggie and Glen in an attempt to locate Bonecrusher, or even to find out what the Decepticons were up to, but even with her skills and some rather unsavory/unusual contacts, she wasn't finding out much. The Decepticons who had landed were obviously skilled in avoiding detection, although he had the feeling that Bonecrusher was helping them remain hidden for some reason. He knew the Con wasn't a CORE like Barricade and Blackout, and thus was their only real Decepticon, but he had thought they were comrades by now. The fact that Bonecrusher had even started joking around with Sideswipe and Jazz, when he wasn't being an anal perfectionist in regards to construction projects on the base, was a reassurance that he wouldn't return to the enemy's side. It was a bitter pill for them to swallow, to think that he had abandoned them.

"I'm an idiot," Will groaned, covering his eyes. His eyes had spotted the concealed form of Blackout, sunbathing out on the tarmac, a sudden idea popping into his head. Standing, ignoring the piles of paperwork, he strode outside the office and towards the Con. "Why didn't I think to ask Blackout, or Barricade? Perhaps they know something we don't, something about the Decepticons," he thought. He knew that Blackout was aware of his approach, despite the fact he didn't twitch or make any motion, and for a long moment he admired the sleek curves and cut edges of his alt. "I wanna ask you some things,"

"Ah fig'red as much," his voice sounded from his cockpit, easily heard since his doors were open. It was a weird quirk of the Blackhawk; he always had to have his doors open while sunbathing. Will huffed and wiped at the sweat beading on his forehead, hesitating a bit. His eyes wandered over the tarmac to see the other Bots were outside as well, mostly sunbathing, although Sideswipe was holding a mock race with the Younglings and wrecking twins. "Maj'r?"

"Sorry, I just," he paused again, then stepped forward and leaned against his side, ignoring the slightly too warm metal against his back. For a moment, both of them were silent, then he felt the metal cool slightly against him, offering him a slight relief from the warm day. It was a little gesture the Autobots would automatically do, and he found Blackout could also quite understand and be compassionate about as well. "I'm surprised to say this, but I miss Bonecrusher," he sighed. The Con remained silent for a long moment, before a low trill and click combo. His lips twitched slightly, "I know you guys aren't into PDA, and God knows I ain't either, but it feels like he abandoned us," He didn't mean for it to sound so, pathetic, and sorely wished he could take it back. "I mean, God, I don't know what I mean," he muttered, scrubbing one hand in his hair.

"S'a'righ' Major, an' 'e didn' aband'n us," he heard slight pings and clicks from behind him, and knew Blackout had resettled himself.

"How do you know though? Did he tell you anything before he left?" his bitterness wasn't withheld, since this wasn't the first time he'd spilled some of his worries out to one of the Cybertronians.

"Not tell meh nut'in' Maj'r," he reassured, then hesitantly added, "Leas' not voc'lly,"

"What do you mean?"

"Ah gots mah suspi'ions ta whom dey was," he could hear the unsettled tones, and understood how reluctant the Blackhawk was feeling. He didn't want to reveal suspicions and theories, he wanted facts, and proof.

"Go ahead, I don't know him nearly as well as I should," it was a bitter pill to swallow, to admit to not knowing as much about his friend as he thought he should have.

"Crushah's not da type ta talk 'bout 'is past," the reassurance was soft, soothing, and in that moment, Will realized why the Younglings preferred Blackout be the one to tell them stories. He might be a vicious Decepticon, and he'd shown how fearsome he could be on the battle-field, but when he wanted to, he could easily revert to mothering mode. That understanding and compassionate tone of his reminded him of his own mom; for a brief moment, he knew that Blackout would be a wonderful parent given the chance. "Me thinkin' those Cons were 'is Bro'hers,"

"Brothers?" Will repeated, blinking, "No wonder he avoided everyone getting in a fight, but why not mention anything?" The long period of silence made him fidget nervously.

"Dey ain't da, most stable, of Cons," Blackout admitted carefully, "Ah know leas' two o' dem would react first, ask lat'r, if ya get mah meanin' Maj'r,"

"I see, but why didn't he talk to them, and contact us afterwards?"

"Cuz only Crushah trusts us, an' u'less dey form dey'r gestalt, da o'hers prob'bly won' believe 'im. O' course, if dey form da gestalt, dey won' be hidden no more,"

"You've mentioned that word before, a gestalt,"

"Combina' units," he could hear the smirk, "Crushah an' 'is Bro'hers c'n combine dey'r frames ta form a strongah warrior,"

"Shit," Will rubbed his eyes, just thinking about that, got his heart racing. Bonecrusher was a damn good fighter, add five more fighters' skills, it was a wonder the Bots were still alive.

"Lucky fer da Bots, Devastatah ain't too bright, 'e relies on only da thoughts da Mechs agree on, makin' 'im a bit slow," Blackout seemed to read his thoughts, but he didn't hide his amusement.

"And you're thinking that these five were his, brother units?" the Con snickered at his hesitant wordplay.

"P'ssibly,"

"And you didn't bother to tell anyone?"

"Nah,"

"Why?"

"Cuz Crushah'd be ova 'is 'elm righ' 'bou' now, 'e dun need us bargin' in an' ruinin' 'is chances. 'Specially since 'e ain't called fer no backup,"

"So I shouldn't worry?"

"Ain't sayin' dat," the amusement vanished, replaced with discontent, "Ain't sayin' dat, an' dun say nut'in' ta da Sparklin' eithah, ain't gonna give 'er d'ceitful 'ope,"

"Are they really that bad?"

"Ah dunno, Maj'r, Ah dunno," For a long moment, they remained in companionable silence, until the Blackhawk changed the topic to a less depressing, and more confusing, topic. "Ya usin' dat ab'nd'ned 'angar down near da south'rn side o' base?"

- Until All Are One-

Elsewhere: Hidden Location

He shifted, unshuttering his optics for a brief moment, before leaning back against the wall of the crudely made cell. His rough plan hadn't necessarily gone down as he'd hoped, since his Brothers hadn't really believed the drivel he'd told them. Once he'd blocked their bio-sigs from the Autobots and humans, and followed them to a hidden hideaway, he'd been knocked into stasis and locked up in this cell. None of them tortured him, not yet, but they had attempted to question him. At first he'd followed with his false story, but that was quickly disbelieved. When he admitted to certain truths, then they became intrigued, but still kept him locked up and out of the way.

The Decepticons were looking for something, they had admitted to him, an Energon source that had been hidden on this planet in the Age of the Harvesting. That age had been long before the Golden Age, when the ancient ones had left Cybertron and sought Energon in different parts of the universe. He hadn't been aware that they had reached this planet and beyond, and wondered why they had left a source here. The only reason he could think of was that they had merely planted some Energon, and now millennia later, they had grown and multiplied enough for harvesting. The Ages before the Golden Age were largely unknown, except to a select few high castes, which made his bare knowledge pretty much standard amongst the lower and, the little there were, middle class.

Relaxing his systems, he noted that Scavenger was shyly watching him again, his soft ruby optics full of hidden curiosity. All of them had shown signs of interest at his abbreviated story of the events of the past year and a half, but Scavenger was the most curious of them all. He didn't particularly blame him, he was the youngest of them, and most prone to mistakes in the optics of everyone. Despite his attempts to act like a seasoned Decepticon warrior, Bonecrusher knew that he would fit in much easier with the Autobots. He was certain that the only reason he remained with them, was in fact because they were Brothers. Despite their differences and dislike of using their gestalt form, they made a highly efficient team when they all focused on their combined goals and plans, and despite that, none of them would willingly allow one of their own to be 'misplaced' on a permanent basis. They were a feared and aggressive Decepticon team, one of the few teams that were a permanent one, and it was known even amongst the Autobots not to aggravate them.

_=Tell me again,=_ the eager Sparkling-like tones reminded him of the Younglings back at base, and he briefly toyed with the thought of prodding his Link, before ignoring the longing.

_=Which story?=_

_=All of them?=_

_=You are going to have to be more specific,=_ Soft ruby optics flickered indecisively for a moment, then focused with sharp clarity. Bonecrusher braced himself for an out of character request, recognizing when Scavenger was dropping his playful Sparkling act.

_=The Little Voice, is she really the sister of Prime?=_

_=Yes,=_ A long moment of silence, as the excavator contemplated.

_=I believe you,=_ His Spark fluttered softly at the admission, his optics locking with his Brother's. _=The others do as well, but we have our orders, and not just from the Fallen,=_ Bonecrusher's vents stuttered, his optics flickering.

_=What do you mean?=_ His Spark-pulse raced, at the solemn look on the younger Constructicon.

_=Didn't you know? The Seekers are mobilizing, rumors are circulating,=_ a small smirk twitched on his faceplates, his optics glowing, _=The time is coming, Bonecrusher, are you ready to stand for what you believe in?= _Slowly, so slowly, Bonecrusher smirked back, his optics darkening. The fact that he'd said those very words to a much younger Scavenger back on Cybertron, words issued to him by their lead Brother, only reminded him of how far they'd come.

_=Scrapper's a genius,=_ the hidden figure stepped out, partially into view, a smirk on his faceplates.

_=Of course I am,=_

-Until All Are One-

It was towards the end of May that the teens managed to visit base again. When they had stepped off the cargo ship, Bumblebee and Barricade immediately transformed to stretch out their frames. The Younglings immediately swarmed around them, greeting them in both English and Cybertronian, dazzling the two organic Femmes. While Lift was cuddling Sage, and consequently out of Nightshade's reach, she glanced over to see the intense focus one Blackhawk had on her Guardian. Grinning to herself, she mischievously neglected to warn him of the incoming danger. Since the only ones currently at the meeting ground were the Bots and the First Team, Blackout didn't hesitate in his mission.

Barricade turned to Ironhide, intent on sending him the complied recordings of a type of training he and Sage had developed, when his Spark detected the intense focus of his Bonded. His helm jerked around in time for him to let out a surprised screech when he was suddenly tackled, and sent rolling across the tarmac and pavement. The First Team froze, watching in disbelief, at the sudden attack, while the Bots hesitated for several moments. Clicking, growling, and the unmistakable sound of shredding metal, as the two wrestled, neatly avoiding anything that was in their way, but leaving some minor damage to the pavement itself.

"It's alright, they're, um," Sage tried to comfort them all, except even she flinched at the startled screech that was torn out of the Hunter's vocals thanks to Blackout's eager attentions. They could only watch as Blackout thoroughly, and scarily, pinned the Hunter to the ground, a low deep growling vibrating the pavement, until it changed to a soothing purr. Barricade kept flexing his claws, parts of his pedes, but was thoroughly pinned on his back by the larger Mech; but when the purr started, he immediately slumped and submitted, a soft warbling series of croons and chirps escaping him. The Bots instantly stepped back, turning politely away, and began ushering the Younglings away. Ironhide attempted to usher the soldiers away, and was adamantly refusing to answer their alarmed questions. Moments later, Blackout stood and started _dragging_ Barricade away, down to, Will mused, the abandoned hangar he had discussed several times with the Con. Hesitating for a moment longer, spotting the dazed unfocused look on Barricade's face, he started helping Ironhide shift his soldiers' focus on other things. He had a feeling that the purr indicated some private time was about to occur between the two Cons, and he wasn't sure he wanted to witness it.

When they left a week later, Barricade and Blackout had only been seen once, and that was only because Barricade had attempted to escape his deranged Bonded, causing the Blackhawk to once again drag him back into _their_ hangar. The soldiers, techs, and other personnel got firm warnings and evil looks from the helicopter transformer, to not go near the hangar. Considering his strange mood, and sudden overprotectiveness of it, Will wisely didn't argue, just watched worriedly at his strange behavior. Over the next couple of months, all of them noticed that Blackout kept hovering around the hangar, bringing in scrap and sorting it, storing what he liked inside and tossing the unsavory bits. The entire time, none of the Bots could explain what he was doing, and he was exceptionally silent about it as well, his moods flickering from crooning to a freaked out soldier, to throwing one of his, apparently detachable, rotor blades, at an irritating Sideswipe. Will just hoped this new craziness faded, and the normal craziness returned soon.

- Until All Are One-

Shorter chapters = faster updates… ;p.. Hope ya'll like this better… This was pretty much just the prologue, since Crusher had to go missing before the 2nd movie starts, so next chappie is when everything REALLY starts. More plots happening, movements within the Decepticon hierarchy, the Fallen is confirmed, and what is going on with the Seekers? Did HardGlide actually follow through on his agreement, did Dropkick? What is going on with Blackout? Ya gonna haveta read to find out! ^^

-Until All Are One-

**Chapter Terms: **

Vessel: a title of reverence to an as yet unknown sect of Cybertronians, since I won't be revealing their identities yet.

Call: the Allspark's Calling Protocols, which were activated by Sage, Bumblebee, and Barricade when Sam shoved the Cube into Megatron's Spark. The Call is a signal that resonates in every Bot/Con's Spark, even if most of them don't recognize or realize it.

Beloved Spark: a confirmed Bondmate/Sparkmate.

Mother: a reference to the Cube, as she is the 'mother' of the descendants of many of the Cybertronian race. There are very few Cybertronians who can trace their lineages back to the original Cybertronians, before the Cube and their 'civilized' Ages.

Little Voice: a young Voice-in-training, this is a reverent title for Sage, since she is currently the only known living Voice left. She still retains a connection to the energies previously contained by the Cube, and is able to activate certain Protocols when needed.

Femmeling: a young Femme, used as an affectionate or scolding title, depending on the context.

- Until All Are One-

Since I wanted to get this up as soon as possible, I'll do mah normal Review Replies from the last chapter of **The Past Always Returns**, and this chappie, on da second chapter of **The Fallen's Mistake**…. ^^…

Much Love, Iridian…


	2. Chaos, Callousness, and Crazine

Hi guys, this is **The Fallen's Mistake**, the sequel to **The Past Always Returns, **which is the sequel to** A Change In Plans**. It would probably be best if you read those first, else ya'll will be very confused. ;p

Thanks a bunch to everyone's support, and mah lovely reviewer harem! ^^

- Until All Are One -

Summary: The adventures continue! How will all the changes affect the events of the 2nd movie as we know it? Sage and her family are going to go through some more difficult and troubling events in this sequel to **The Past Always Returns**.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Transformers, else I'd have the kiddie version, and the adult version. LOL Plus I'd not be broke right now. XD

I will have my normal notes, from **A Change In Plans**, at the bottom, instead of at the top. So Cybertronian terms are on the bottom. ^.^

- Until All Are One -

Title: The Fallen's Mistake

Chapter Two: Chaos, Callousness, and Craziness…

- Until All Are One -

_Previously from __**The Fallen's Mistake:**_

When they left a week later, Barricade and Blackout had only been seen once, and that was only because Barricade had attempted to escape his deranged Bonded, causing the Blackhawk to once again drag him back into _their_ hangar. The soldiers, techs, and other personnel got firm warnings and evil looks from the helicopter transformer, to not go near the hangar. Considering his strange mood, and sudden overprotectiveness of it, Will wisely didn't argue, just watched worriedly at his strange behavior. Over the next couple of months, all of them noticed that Blackout kept hovering around the hangar, bringing in scrap and sorting it, storing what he liked inside and tossing the unsavory bits. The entire time, none of the Bots could explain what he was doing, and he was exceptionally silent about it as well, his moods flickering from crooning to a freaked out soldier, to throwing one of his, apparently detachable, rotor blades, at an irritating Sideswipe. Will just hoped this new craziness faded, and the normal craziness returned soon.

- Until All Are One-

Will's wish wasn't granted; Blackout continued to act strangely, well, more strange than normal for the Con, over the next four months. More landings, with more confrontations, caused the death toll of soldiers and civilians to rise more and more. General Morshower couldn't hide the fact that their superiors were breathing down their necks, and the soldiers could feel the civilian government officials becoming more and more hostile in regards to NEST and their 'assets.' To make matters worse, Galloway was making himself an even bigger nuisance, supported by several influential politicians and corporate backing. He was still denied access to base, but everyone agreed it was only a matter of time before he got his way. Bonecrusher was still MIA, with many speculating that he was dead, but the lack of evidence kept the First Team's hope alive. Every time they got called into action, they always sought out information concerning his location. Shanghai was no different.

- Until All Are One-

"Oh no,"

"What you got?"

"Thermal ripple,"

"Alright everybody, be steady, we're right on top of it," Moments later, everything went to hell. The familiar sounds of transformation before the sounds of explosions and screams echoed in the night. Will ducked down, grasping his com, spotting several of his soldiers laying prone. "Eagle niner!"

"I need an energy proton!"

"Panther 1, requesting fire mission now!"

_=Gunships on station. Roll in hot!=_

_=Dog 1, now we are engaging,=_ The Seahawks were mirrored by Blackout, the Con ducking between them and placing himself between them and the threat. Just in time since he called out a warning, enabling them to dodge the sudden about turn, avoiding the swipe of deadly claws.

_=We got a second Decepticon.= _

"Arcee twins! Target coming your way!"

_=I got him, I got him=_ All of them groaned, hearing Mudflap and Skids, but were too preoccupied with their own parts. Therefore it didn't surprise any of them when moments later they commed again.

_=I screwed that up. I'm okay. I'm all right.= _

_=This is combat, man.=_

_=Total brain freeze, man.= _

_=What's wrong with you?= _

_=ENO'GH! Get offa da fraggin' Com Links!=_

"Bring in Sideswipe!"

_=Clear a path!=_ The soldiers watched with awe as the front-liner displayed his agility and speed, taking out Sideways in moments, one less thorn in their side. _=Damn I'm good,=_ Their relief was short-lived, however, when they realized where the bigger threat was heading.

"Air support, we need Big Buddha to deliver the drop now!"

_=Cyclone 98, final attack hitting in 120.=_

_=Clear to drop in five, four, three, two, one.= _

_=Everyone, I'm in pursuit!=_ Prime's voice was a welcome sound. The majestic view of him tackling the Decepticon that was three times larger than himself, was awe-inspiring. _=Pull over!=_ He fired two successive shots at his helm, causing a chain reaction as parts of his frame destabilized. Demolition let out a strangled shout as he fell off the bridge, his frame collapsing as he rolled into a power station. Prime and Ironhide approached the downed Decepticon first, the soldiers fanning out around behind them.

"Punk-ass Decepticon!" the Weapon Specialist snorted, taking his place at Prime's left. Demolition twisted, sneering at the two.

"Where is Bonecrusher's current location and status," Prime demanded.

"Wo-woul-dn't you lik-like to k-know,"

"Answer Prime," Ironhide's cannons whirled to life.

_=Go to the Pit!=_ Prime's optics dimmed in disappointment, recognizing the futility.

"Any last words?"

"Thi-is is not y-your pla-planet to rule! T-the Fallen, shall r-rise again!" For a long moment, everyone was silent, then Epps groaned.

"That doesn't sound good,"

"Not today," Prime finished off the downed Decepticon, turning away with regret.

- Until All Are One-

Sage remained motionless, eyes locked on the television, holding a large bag of groceries. She ignored Barricade's impatient Pings, intent on the broadcast about a toxic spill in Shanghai. It had the ring of a cover-up, she recognized, and had only a bit of doubt. Another blast of an irritated horn had her turning, sending her Guardian an irritated look. Juggling the bag, she fished out her keys as she headed over to him. "Really Cade?"

"I do not see why you needed to watch that drivel, I could inform you of more details than those incompetent drones ever could,"

"Maybe," her lips twitched slightly, "But I was practicing my deduction skills, that was a cover-up for the others, wasn't it?"

"Indeed," his door opened before she could 'unlock' him, making her glance around suspiciously. Setting the bag in the back of his alt, she slid comfortably behind his wheel. "Scrap, what did your cousin get into now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Firefighters, police squads, an ambulance, all en route to your cousin's house,"

"What did I tell you about eavesdropping on police chatter?"

"Not to do it,"

"And?"

"It's amusing, thus I'm ignoring you," she let out an exasperated groan, watching their surroundings change quickly. In only a few minutes they were pulling up slowly, the two of them spotting Mikaela's bike.

"Behave, while I figure out what happened," the brunette slid out of his alt and sprinted over to Sam's parents, whom were giggling at something. She caught a brief glance of Sam and Mikaela embracing, and felt her Link to Bumblebee Ping unhappily. "Aunt Judy, Uncle Ron, what happened?"

"It's alright Sagie," Judy crooned, then bent her head and yanked her head to the side, "I have a bald spot, from a waffle iron!" Sage's honey-brown eyes blinked as she stared at the eccentric woman blankly for a long moment.

"How did a waffle iron attack you?" she paused then shook her head, "Never mind, Sam tried to make spaghetti again or something?" she eyed the destroyed part of the house, whistling lowly.

"No, the whole kitchen came to life," She shot them a quick look, determined they were being serious, and really wondered what was going on.

"Sam! Mikki!" she spotted them separate and headed over. Ignoring the affection between them, she watched as Sam darted inside, no doubt to finish his packing. "Mikki, what happened?"

"Sam found a shard of the Cube," the dark-haired beauty sighed, "It somehow activated, bringing the kitchen to life, Bee took care of the drones, and, well," they both looked at the smoking rubble. "Sam just told him by the way,"

"What? Sam told me he had already told him!" Sage really wanted to smack Sam, opening her Link to Bee and sending him love and comfort. She ducked into the partially demolished garage and stepped up to the scout. Bee warbled softly, his optics sad and door-wings drooping. "I'm sorry Bee, Sam's a complete idiot," she curled up, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a tight hug. He chirped softly, accepting her hug and nuzzling his faceplates against her. "I'll give him a good smack for ya, alright?" He twittered softly in amusement, but shook his helm. "I'll think of something, alright? Besides, we can hang out more, and you'll visit base with us right?" His wings fluttered; his optics brightening as she cheered him up. Warbling in agreement, he shifted back, purring contently as she petted his hood. "I gotta go, Sam's being a sissy," she pressed a loving kiss to his grill before waving goodbye. His twittering laughter followed her out. None of them noticed the scrap drone zero in on Mikaela, detecting the shard of the Cube.

- Until All Are One-

_=Female has sliver of Cube!=_ The Decepticon's helm rose briefly, his optics flickering on as he received the communication. For a brief moment, he stared down at the vibrant world he orbited, before focusing on his tasks again.

_=Soundwave acknowledges. Pursue her. Retrieve it.=_ he relayed the order. He heard the affirmative Ping from the scrap drone as his trajectory shifted, aligning him better to suit his needs. Shutting down that communication link, his multiple processors focused on the various other links he had, relaying orders and moving everyone's positions into their ideal locations for entry. One of his personal links Pinged, excitement and happiness flowing through the link, emotions he returned to the one planet-side. The images that were sent to him from said Link puzzled him briefly, but he set it to the side to focus on higher priority items. He felt his Link pulse with disappointment and worry, a hint of wariness and desperation, but he did not have the time to go over the strange images at the moment. He was directing too many Mechs and Communiques at the moment.

_=Need to know, 'Wave!=_

_=Later, Frenzy=_ he dismissed.

_=Will there be a later, though?= _the Cassetticon's words were soft, almost mournful. He made a soft sound of reluctant promise, letting him settle.

- Until All Are One-

They disembarked the C-17s once they landed back on Diego. The island base quickly became home, despite their annoyance at the beginning. "Autobot twins, report to Hangar Three," the announcement called over the loudspeakers. Will spotted Skids and Mudflap's ugly alt whizz past, no doubt their new alts had finally come in.

"Bad-ass ice cream truck coming through," they followed the directions of several soldiers, disappearing into the hangar. Their delight, and a usual tussle, was easily heard as the rest of them unloaded the C-17s. "That hurt man!"

"It's supposed to hurt, it's an ass-kicking!" Will spotted the Bots enter their hangar, no doubt to rest from the mission. His bed was calling as well, but he had some unpleasant business to attend to.

"Present arms!" he saluted his fallen soldiers, mentally thanking the Bots and Blackout. He was positive they would have had more casualties if they hadn't been there. Their deaths still hurt though, and he kept that pain guarded and close. The sound of an unfamiliar helicopter had him turning from his respect however. Seeing who had arrived, only worsened his already sour mood.

"Director Galloway, what an honor. I'd love to show you around, but you gotta be on the classified access list." For a moment, he felt pleasure at denying the arrogant man, until a piece of paper was slapped against his chest, the politician striding past him.

"I am now. Presidential order, Major. I got a message for your classified space buddies! You guys made a mess of Shanghai." Will could only helplessly follow, his sour mood dropping further. Speeding up, he took the lead to bring them to the Bots.

"All right, so this is where we communicate with the JCS and this area serves as the Autobots' hangar," he was thankful Blackout had chosen to join them in the hangar briefly, not wanting to get into an argument of his 'commandeering' a different hangar.

"Secure link to JCS is up, Major!" a tech called, making Will nod affirmative and climb up the platform. None of the techs and soldiers noticed their 'secure' line wasn't so secure. "Secure line to the Pentagon is now open." Will turned to the camera, knowing he looked as presentable as he was able at the moment.

"General?" The screens flickered, revealing the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The reassuring look on Morshower's face gave him some encouragement.

_=Will, I saw the Shanghai op. We had a rough day out there,=_

"Yes sir, but thanks to Blackout we didn't lose as many. We have intel that I believe warrants an immediate debrief. Now with your permission, I can't let you see him, but I would like you to hear from the leader of the Autobots."

_=Proceed,=_ Will glanced over at the sound of a familiar transformation, not surprised, but still in awe as parts shifted, twisted, and re-aligned into the familiar towering form of Optimus Prime. He barely glimpsed Galloway's stunned look as he watched, and noted Prime twisted to examine Galloway for a brief moment. It was the first time the Autobot leader was meeting their so-called Liaison, Will remembered belatedly, and from the look of his faceplates, the man was severely lacking in what Prime wanted. Epps stepped up behind Galloway, watching Prime's transformation as well, and decided to voice a thought of his own.

"You gotta wonder, if God made us in his image, who made him?" Galloway's face flickered with various emotions before he blanked it, looking up in disbelief. None of the soldiers noticed a tech in the corner place a small device facing the group, setting it hidden amongst various other gear and communication devices. The tech easily slipped back into his assigned job, no one the wiser to his actions.

"General, our alliance has countermanded six Decepticon incursions this year, each on a different continent." Prime's voice rang out easily in the nearly silent hangar, the techs and soldiers respectfully quiet. "They're clearly searching around the world for something, but last night's encounter came with a warning." The sound of something being rewound before a crackly static voice sounded, the voice clearly nonhuman and holding none of Prime's gentle tones.

"The Fallen shall rise again,"

_="The Fallen." Meaning what?=_

"Origin unknown. The only recorded history of our race was contained within the Allspark and lost with its destruction." Prime paused a moment to collect his thoughts, but it was enough for Galloway.

"Excuse me!" he called out, ignoring the annoyed looks sent to him from several soldiers and techs. For a moment, they all could see him preen under the attention. "With this so-called Allspark now destroyed," he started climbing up the ladder to the platform, ignoring basic courtesies, "Why hasn't the enemy left the planet like you thought they would?" Will turned to the camera, rolling his eyes a bit.

"Director Galloway, our National Security Advisor. The President just appointed him liaison." He introduced, looking up briefly as a prayer for patience. Morshower resettled in his chair, glancing at the others with him.

_=Well, I guess I didn't get that memo,= _his murmur was unheard by Galloway, whom was still attempting to reach the monitors. _=When is Miss Blake taking her place as liaison, Major?=_

"Another three days sir, she's dealing with a few family issues as well as waiting for confirmation of her records and acceptances," Will cracked a small smile, obviously eager for Sage to return to base. Morshower dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment.

_=I have yet to meet her in person, but from what I've heard, I think she'll be excellent at the job,=_

"Forgive the interruption, General." Galloway didn't seem pleased at the slight against him, and was rushing to take his place in front of the camera. "Excuse me. Coming through. Excuse me. Excuse me, soldier." He finally reached Will, and posed a bit, trying to look more intimidating than the Major, only making himself look petty in comparison. "After all the damage in Shanghai, the President is hard-pressed to say the job's getting done." He focused his attention on Prime, whom looked ready to settle into a defensive stance. A whirling trill from behind them, made Will glance over to see Blackout's rotor-blades twitching in aggravation. "Now, under the classified Alien/Autobot Cooperation Act, you agreed to share your intel with us, but not your advancements in weaponry."

"We've witnessed your human capacity for war." Prime was solemn, not betraying his irritation. He was regretting putting this human at the bottom of his priority list; he was proving to be irritating just with his presence. "It would absolutely bring more harm than good," he didn't want to admit that their weapons were modified for use in the Earth's atmosphere, to prevent extreme radiation poisoning. Even the Decepticons were careful to avoid using their most potent weapons on the surfaces of planets, not because they cared about the organic life, but simply because the various planets they had encountered were affected by their weaponry in different ways. None of them would forget several planets that literally combusted when the use of unrestricted weapons had been released on their surfaces.

"But who are you to judge what's best for us?" Galloway's subtle sneer made Will repress his growl, glancing at the others on the platform to see their agreement with him.

"With all due respect, we've been fighting side by side in the field for two years." Will defended, not seeing Morshower's face tighten on the screen behind him.

"We've shed blood, sweat and precious metal together," Epps added, sending a dark glower up at the politician.

"Soldier, you're paid to shoot, not talk," Galloway seemed to joke, dismissing him.

"Don't tempt me," Epps growled. "Fragger, Sage wouldn't be so condescending to anyone, especially not to us. She knows what we put our lives on the line for, what we do to keep everyone safe." Prime looked down, holding his servo out to calm him. He ignored the bristling of his Autobots, sending them a wordless order to stand down.

"Easy," Epps silenced his dark mutters, showing his respect at Prime's request. He noted that Blackout's alt was trembling slightly, his blades making a soft rattling sound.

"And the uh, newest members of your team." Galloway continued, oblivious at the mounting aggravation. "I understand they arrived here after you sent a message into space, an open invitation to come to Earth, vetted by no one at the White House." He held his hands up and out, dramatically, looking around at the soldiers watching him emotionlessly on the platform.

_=Let me stop you right there, Mr. Galloway. It was vetted right here. And in my experience, the judgment of both Major Lennox and his team, has always been above reproach.= _the scolding Morshower delivered, fell on deaf ears.

"Well, be that as it may, General, it is the position of the President that when our national security is at stake, no one is above reproach." The smug look on his face clearly translated across the screens. Turning, he did a slow circle, looking almost friendly and approachable, until his mouth opened again. "Now, what do we know so far? We know that the enemy leader, classified NBE One, aka Megatron, is rusting in peace at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyssal, surrounded by SOSUS detection nets and a full-time submarine surveillance." None of them noticed Blackout's trembling stop, his frame tensing in shock. "We also know that the only remaining piece of your alien Allspark is locked in an electromagnetic vault here on one of the most secure naval bases in the world." Before he could continue, the reverberating sound of a transformation sounded.

"Shut down da link!" Blackout roared, his ruby optics locking on Galloway's frozen figure, "Are ya slaggin' o't ya fraggin' proc'ssor! Shut it DOWN!" As techs scrambled to do as he ordered, his wrist flicked, three metal tendrils shooting out to plug into the consoles, the ends oozing a bio-mechanical agent that plugged him into the system instantly. "Frag! We been hacked!" Images scattered across the vid screen, including the same images Frenzy had located about Sector Seven and Project: Iceman. "Scrappin' glitch! Why da frag would ya men'ion any o' dat on a com link? Ah ain't skill'd 'nough ta block ALL dem Dec'pticons!" More images, which alarmed the techs, since they showed images of Diego Garcia, the electromagnetic vault, the Laurentian Abyssal, and even images of Megatron's battered corpse. "Frag,"

"How much did they get?" Will demanded, not noticing that the JCS were still connected, and listening intently.

"Ev'ryt'in'!" Blackout growled, encoding creeping across the images, only to be broken moments later, "Fragger, da only Con dis goo', gots ta be da Th'rd," Jazz swore vividly, as he and Jolt transformed and plugged in as well, attempting to block the intruder together. Several long moments later, the three growled their dissatisfaction. "No goo', 'e gots it all," his furious glower locked on the NSA, "We gots ta move da shard, alert da SOSUS,"

"Already on it," various techs were already relaying warnings and messages. Galloway remained silent only a moment longer before scoffing.

"You want me to believe they're after the body of their deceased leader? The shard is useless, merely a token. Since no one can seem to tell me what the enemy is now after, well there's only one clear conclusion!" Everyone stopped to stare at the seemingly insane man. Was he even aware of the ramifications of what he just did? "You! The Autobots!" he pointed aggressively at Prime, not heeding the warning growls. "They're here to hunt you! What's there to hunt for on Earth besides that? 'The Fallen shall rise again'? It sounds like something's coming. So let me ask, if we ultimately conclude that our national security is best served by denying you further asylum on _our _planet, will you leave peacefully?" For a long moment, everyone sat stunned from what the man had implied. Prime's focus never wavered, settling on the NSA for a long moment.

"Freedom is your right. If you make that request, we will honor it." His calm dignified response only made Galloway appear more and more petulant. Epps and Will shared looks, understanding why Prime had calmed them. He had shown more respect and dignity, more sophistication, in one servo, than Galloway seemed to have in his entire body. The NSA nodded smugly, glancing at everyone with a superior look. Before he turned to leave however, Prime wasn't finished. "But," he turned, looking worried, "before your President decides, please ask him this. What if we leave and _you_ are wrong?" Prime stepped back slightly, dismissive. As Galloway fled, his metaphorical tail between his legs, Will turned to him.

"That's a good question," he encouraged.

- Until All Are One-

Alrighty, yeah it's following the movie with only a few twists, but that's cuz it's so early.. It'll start spiraling out in a couple chaps, and I'm cutting it short, so I can update faster… ;p..

Chapter Terms:

Link: referred as communication links, or Link as in one of the various different Bond Links.

Modified Weaponry: I dun remember the story, but I remember reading one where some of the Autobots had to change some of their weapons due to using poisonous elements, like Argon or something, once they landed planet-side. It got me thinking, well, they're metallic organisms, not carbon-based, and therefore aren't susceptible to the same 'poisons' we are. So they probably use plutonium and radioactive waves in weapon form. Out in space there wouldn't be too much backlash, due to being in a vacuum, but on planets with gravity and of various compositions, there could be problems. –shrugs- therefore figured they would all automatically be wary about utilizing their destructive weaponry on any planet, whether there were organics or not.

Review time!:

Angel897: ^^'.. I'm sorry bout not updating earlier…

Kat: pffffffffftttttttttttt… ;p.. ya aura of distraction will not stop me! Muahahahahahhaha! ;p.. just kidding.. ^^

LunaPrimeStar: ^^ Hope mah advice helps, and I'm waiting to see your story! It's an intriguing notion ya got there, and I'll be happy to help out with what you need, even if it's just bouncing ideas or random thoughts.. ;p

- Until All Are One-

Okay! Chapter two is done! Yay! ;p…


	3. College, Conspiracies, and Talks

Hi guys, this is **The Fallen's Mistake**, the sequel to **The Past Always Returns, **which is the sequel to** A Change In Plans**. It would probably be best if you read those first, else ya'll will be very confused. ;p

Thanks a bunch to everyone's support, and mah lovely reviewer harem! ^^

- Until All Are One -

Summary: The adventures continue! How will all the changes affect the events of the 2nd movie as we know it? Sage and her family are going to go through some more difficult and troubling events in this sequel to **The Past Always Returns**.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Transformers, else I'd have the kiddie version, and the adult version. LOL Plus I'd not be broke right now. XD

I will have my normal notes, from **A Change In Plans**, at the bottom, instead of at the top. So Cybertronian terms are on the bottom. ^.^

Chapter Warning: Leo's being perverted, and schemes afoot!

- Until All Are One -

Title: The Fallen's Mistake

Chapter Three: College, Conspiracies, and Talks

- Until All Are One -

_Previously from __**The Fallen's Mistake:**_

"Freedom is your right. If you make that request, we will honor it." His calm dignified response only made Galloway appear more and more petulant. Epps and Will shared looks, understanding why Prime had calmed them. He had shown more respect and dignity, more sophistication, in one servo, than Galloway seemed to have in his entire body. The NSA nodded smugly, glancing at everyone with a superior look. Before he turned to leave however, Prime wasn't finished. "But," he turned, looking worried, "before your President decides, please ask him this. What if we leave and _you_ are wrong?" Prime stepped back slightly, dismissive. As Galloway fled, his metaphorical tail between his legs, Will turned to him.

"That's a good question," he encouraged.

- Until All Are One-

Sam watched as his parents gushed over his college, helping Sage out of the backseat. His cousin groaned softly, sleepily piling out and leaning against the rental car drowsily. "Why am I here again?"

"You promised you'd help me settle into my dorm," Sam chirped happily, his excitement clear. That excitement dimmed as his parents started acting like they always did. His mom started gushing about feeling smarter and his dad was complaining about the cost.

"So I did," she grabbed a box, following him as he carried his own box.

"Go ahead, we'll get your stuff. Just go ahead and check out your room," Ron encouraged. Sam nodded, leading his cousin through the halls and areas. With some helpful directions, they were soon walking in a co-ed dorm, making Sage raise her eyebrow delicately.

"Co-ed? Really Sam?"

"Hey, don't worry, Mikaela's the only one for me," he repeated, aggravated. She had already lectured him about cheating and what would happen if he broke Mikaela's heart. She had grown pretty fond of the mechanic in the last two years, and was quite willing to torture her cousin should he do something stupid, like he was prone to doing. Sage paused, readjusting her grip on the box, and inadvertently allowing him to get a headstart. She glanced up at the numbers on the doors, making her way through the hall after he had disappeared.

Sam spotted the open door that had his assigned number, and stepped inside, only to find all the walls covered already. The other teen in the room spotted him and easily hopped from his perch of putting up another poster. "You must be Sam, right? I'm Leo."

"Hey," The two sized each other up a bit.

"So, I already set up the crib a bit. You want this side or that side?"

"Uh, that side,"

"I already chose that side." Sam stared at him blankly for a moment, then huffed.

"You know what this is? This is the awkward moment." Leo's face looked slightly intrigued and amused. "Yeah, see, you're trying to see if I'm a normal guy. I'm trying to see if you're a normal guy. Balanced, un-medicated, nothing under the crawl space."

"Good personal hygiene, won't stab me in my sleep."

"No criminal record, won't steal anything."

"Including girlfriends."

"Especially girlfriends."

"You got a girlfriend?"

"I do. You?" Leo laughed a bit, before looking disappointed.

"No, not a chance. You a techie?" Sam nodded a bit, wondering. "Sweet! Sharksy, Fassbinder, where we at?" Sam followed him into the next joined dorm, spotting two guys and a mess of computers. One wall had a bunch of photos of hot girls spread across it.

"Server's almost online, Leo."

"Network's up and running,"

"Beautiful, that's what I like to hear. That's Sharsky," he pointed at an African American teen, whom looked quite tall, "that's Fassbinder," the second guy had long hair and looked almost like a hippie. "My IT gurus. Welcome to my empire, bro, . That's me, I'm sure you've heard of it."

"No, I haven't," Sam denied, looking bemused.

"Well, that sucks." One of the two replied despondently. Before Sam could ask what it was for, he heard his name being called.

"Sam? Hello?"

"Yo, Bree, in here," he turned, not seeing the three's suddenly curious looks. Sage poked her head in the door, after dropping the box on the floor. Her eyes blinked slowly as she examined the room briefly, her glance barely skimming over the three unknown boys. Stepping fully into the room, her interest peeked at the sight of the complex computers. Neither of the cousins noticed the gob-smacked looks on the three guys. "This is Leo, my roommate, I guess,"

"Nice ta meet'cha," she greeted absently, leaning towards the nearest computer, which incidentally put her close to Fassbinder, who was swallowing audibly as he eyed her. "Nice site, conspiracy theories? How's ya firewalls and security net?"

"Um, well,"

"Easy Bree," Sam chuckled, "But what is all this for?" Leo blinked rapidly, clearing his mind. His eyes wandered over Sage's figure again, pondering if she was Sam's girlfriend.

"Hey, _niña bonita__. __Usted __está buscando __absolutamente bien__!_" (1) he murmured. Her eyes shot over to him, irritation becoming apparent. She had chosen to wear black leggings, a short knee-length black sundress with blue-gray floral patterns, with a thin plain black t-shirt underneath the sundress. A belt was tied loosely around her hips, keeping the dress from flaring too high up. Her arms were bare except for the tiny sleeves on her shirt, and the collection of eclectic bracelets on her left wrist. Simple black sandals graced her feet, and her shoulder-length hair had been pulled back into a messy bun. Mikaela had insisted on giving her some fashion advice in getting some girly clothes, and Sage had accepted the outfit since it was comfortable.

"_Por favor __mantén tus ojos __y __babear__a ti mismo__, no estoy __interesado en __un niño __de la hormona __impulsado__,_ " (2) her response was sharp, but it made him light up.

"You speak my language, _mi hermosa __flor_!" (3)

"I'm not your flower," she bristled, then suddenly looked utterly bored, "Your firewalls suck, a five year old could hack and steal anything off it," Leo's face fell briefly, before Sam intervened.

"Hey, so what is all this for?"

"See where I'm going, bro," Leo shot her a smug look. "Look, call me gross, I want to be a baby billionaire. Boom!" he held up two calendars, "Kitten calendars. That's where I started. Look at me now. Got to have dreams, bro." Sage and Sam shared an unamused look. Suddenly a vid popped up on one screen, several people screaming inside a car.

"Yo, Leo! We got some brand new Shanghai vid!" Fassbinder grew excited. Sage's eyes narrowed slightly, flashing a brief scarlet.

"Post it, baby! Go, go, go! FTJ! FTJ!" Sam bemusedly looked at Leo.

"What's 'FTJ'?"

"Fuel the Jet. Fuel the Jet, bro." he glanced back at her, "See, my lovely flower, we do impressive work, eh?"

"FTJ. FTJ, legit!" She leaned near Fassbinder again, eyes focused on the vid playing on the screen. As the three got more and more excited, the two cousins got more and more wary.

"Look at this. Half of Shanghai gets wrecked and China says 'gas leak.' Don't believe the hype, bro."

"Just like the alien robots in LA two years ago that everyone covered up." Sharsky was really getting into it, his own obsession poking through.

"Yeah, I saw these robots, and they did this, like, firing thing and they came down and toasted this woman, and she was like…" They were really excited about this, they noted dryly. Sam was verging on a panic attack however, while Sage had gone thoughtful.

"It looks fake to me," he interrupted the gruesome tale Fassbinder was spinning.

"Dude, it's not fake. The Internet is pure truth. Video doesn't lie," It was like he spoke blasphemy or something, Sam wondered. Sage snorted softly, attracting their attention.

"Video lies all the time, just look at my Computer Graphics projects. I simulated various videos exactly like that, just with my graphic art and animation techniques," she stated dryly, rolling her eyes. She pointed at various points of the vid, and began bullshitting like a professional. Sam watched in awe as she pulled unbelievably logical bullshit out of thin air to contradict the video's authenticity.

"Exactly, Bree's right, anybody could do it on any computer, okay? And I wasn't there," Sage shook her head, eyes flashing, "So I can't comment or speculate," She thumped her hand against her face, slowly dragging her hand down. Sam instantly winced, the phrase that had been drilled into his brain by various officials coming out automatically.

"'Comment or speculate'? And we're supposed to cohabitate?" Leo spoke up, giving him a dark look. "No, listen, okay? Don't be sucking the sack, bro!" Sage winced, the mental image popping into mind was horrendous.

"Which sack?" she really wanted to smack her oblivious cousin.

"The ball sack," Sharsky stated confidently.

"Dude, what kind of tool are you?"

"Mainstream media sack." She could really do without his graphic groping hand, "They're lying to us, all right? It's aliens, man."

"Okay, okay,"

"Sam," Sage's unamused look and tone made the three blush, making them suddenly remember her presence. "Do yourself a favor, and don't ask any more questions. I'm grossed out enough, and Cade's gonna blame you for why I'll be twitchy the next couple of days." His face whitened.

"Don't tell Cade!" his panic had him attempting to dodge around the mess. Leo snorted and motioned them to join him in the other room.

"Uh oh, Leo, bad news! We just got scooped. The video's already up on GFR."

"Damn it Fassbinder!" Leo settled in front of his computer with a groan. "Robo-Warrior, the guy's our main competition on conspiracy stuff." He didn't notice Sage pull her cell out and text several sentences, informing her Guardian about the guys and their website. "'Effing' was my F-ing idea and he stole it! He's been linking to my site and thieving hits forever. By the way, I read your file. I'm poor, you're poor. We're going to fix that, all right? You work for me now." Sam blinked and looked astonished, sharing a glance with his cousin. Both felt their Witwicky pride rear up, dislike becoming apparent. The only difference being Sage knew when to keep her mouth shut, while Sam couldn't.

"I work for you now? That's incredible."

"Sam!" she knew he was about to do something stupid. You do NOT want to piss off your roommates in college, since they had access to all your things. Especially not the first day. He didn't seem to care, however.

"It's the first day of college: I got a career in a dinky Internet firm with a boss who is made up of just pure champion stuff." Leo's pleased look dropped in a moment, looking hurt and shocked for a brief moment.

"Are you mocking my life's work, Samuel? That's your one warning patrolling, dude. Don't make me have Fassbinder hack your financial aid, 'cause I'll do it!"

"No you won't," Sage stepped in, eyes flashing. Sam totally deserved getting chewed out, but threatening him was a no-go. Sam stepped back, just as she stepped forward, Leo nearly chasing after him as he left the room. She pointed her finger up into his face; her eyes flashing and making him hesitate. "You ain't messing with my cousin, or I'LL be da one messin' wit'cha records, and makin' damn sure ya dun get anythin' ya aftah!" In her anger, she slipped into Blackout's familiar accent, which did its job since he hurriedly backed up. He smirked at her however, humming to himself.

"Me likes a chica with fire," he tried to purr, and didn't come close to the level she'd been exposed to by the Mechs. She scoffed darkly at him, giving him the bird.

"I'm taken, ya moron, an' rem'mbah, ya mess wit' mah cousin, ya mess wit' me, and ya mess wit' me, ya mess wit' a whole mess o' highly trained veteran _soldiers,_" his face paled, her seriousness finally sinking in. Moments later, Sam and his parents re-entered the room. Leo plastered a charming face on, edging slightly around her. As they introduced themselves, the cousins simultaneously spotted the baggie in Judy's hand. Both shared a look that reflected their thoughts: seriously? The next ten minutes involved them attempting to take away her reefer-baked brownies, with no success, to listening to her spout off embarrassing stories of Sam's, and then tackling several students to steal their Frisbee. By the time they managed to get her back to the car, all of them were exhausted. "Really Sam, I'm hoping you at least got Bee to avoid the house," she couldn't help but tease. At the blossoming horror on his face, she winced in sympathy for Bumblebee; she had no desire to THINK about Sam and Mikki in such a position, let alone be forced to listen to it. "A nice scrub and wax for the poor traumatized Autobot," she muttered darkly.

- Until All Are One-

Up in orbit, the Communications Officer Pinged his orders to Ravage, orders from the Fallen. Calculating the trajectory, he ejected his Cassetticon's entry-pod into the atmosphere, receiving a Ping back once the feline-mimic landed. He could feel Ravage's annoyance at having to deliver Reedman's micro-cons, but he performed his duty precisely, giving the other backup and cover fire. No Mech, not even Lord Megatron, would deny that Ravage wasn't a professional. Soundwave's optics flickered slightly in surprise when Ravage Pinged him a request, hesitating to grant it at first before allowing it. Once he secured the shard, he left Reedman with the deep-dive team before separating from them briefly.

While Ravage was off on his own personal exploration, the Officer contacted the Constructicons, receiving several affirmations that they were ready for their parts. He briefly approved of their alt modes before returning his attention back to his, now two, wayward Cassetticons. Receiving inquiring Pings from several others, he withheld the vent. His work was never complete, he mentally frowned, sending back encrypted replies and denials. Finding a moment of peace, he reviewed an old message, his Spark warming at the small hope he had instilled in one of his favored Mechs. With that brief hope, he returned his attentions to the various schemes and plans, most of them set into motion by himself and his dear lost friend.

_=The End is coming,=_ he whispered, feeling the happiness from all his Cassetticons.

- Until All Are One-

Mikaela smiled slightly at the rapt attention Sam's cousin was giving her. The two were working on one of the shop's cars, more accurately, Mikaela was working, and Sage was listening as she explained. It was Sage's last day before she and Barricade began the drive to some obscure military base for pickup, and the two decided that working in the shop would be fun. Mikaela was grateful for her company, having become closer to the other girl, plus she was enjoying herself in teaching her the various parts and how to repair them. Sage didn't mind that the younger girl was more knowledgeable that her in this regard, and paid attention to everything the other was telling her.

Of course they were also playing and joking around, and Sage had to tease and scold her for traumatizing Bumblebee after she had returned to Tranquility from dropping off Sam. Mikaela had blushed bright red and immediately volunteered to help her wash and wax Bee in apology, the scout soaked up the attention easily until he reluctantly was called back by Prime, but was grateful to their attention. Of course after that, Barricade demanded some attention as well, which resulted in him getting a wash and wax; during which he had ended up falling into a pleasant recharge. He would deny it of course, despite the fact the two of them easily heard his soft 'snores' and recognized the mechanized sounds.

The two had hung out the previous two weeks, after Sage had completed all her courses and exams, and she was adamant they spend time together before they would be separated for an indefinite amount of time. This is why Sage was with her in her dad's auto shop with a lazy Barricade snoozing outside in the sun. The two were also discussing what Sam was planning for the webcam date later that night. When the shop was preparing to close up, the two hugged tightly in goodbye, with a mischievous grin sent her way from Sage, before the older brunette poked her Guardian awake. Settling in her chair, Mikaela smiled happily and a little nervously, signing in.

- Until All Are One-

'_Mikaela's gonna kill me,'_ Sam thought, slumping his head forward against Bee's steering wheel. The scout was pissed at him, he could tell, ever since that Alice girl climbed in. He really didn't understand why that girl was so interested in him, especially after he had stated he had a girlfriend. _'Probably would have been better if you hadn't stuttered it, stupid,'_ her thumped his head against the moving leather. He heard an inquisitive chirp/trill, before Bee remembered he was angry and went silent again. _'Forget Mikaela, Bree's gonna murder me. No way that Bee ain't gonna tell her,'_ he sighed and slumped further. _'Then again, I did miss our web date, so maybe Mikaela will beat her to it.'_ His attention focused on their surroundings, a frown appearing on his face at the large cemetery. Sitting up, he caught a flash of familiar blue and red and braced himself. _'Damn it, I thought Bree was going to be the one to deal with this? I just wanted to go to college and be normal!'_ he thought in despair. Bee parked, letting him climb out. Moving over to one side, he climbed up the separating wall and sighed, heading to the Autobot Commander. Anger flashed up, words spilling out without his permission.

"Huh? You won't give me a day, huh?" Prime turned, looking down at him sorrowfully. "You won't give me one day in college?"

"I am sorry, Sam, but the last fragment of the Allspark was stolen." His anger faded away to numbness.

"Like what? Like Decepticons stole it?"

"We placed it under human protection at your government's request, but I am here for your help, Sam, because your leaders believe we brought vengeance upon your planet. Perhaps they are right. That is why they must be reminded by another human of the trust we share."

"This isn't my war," Sam shook his head, denying it.

"Not yet, but I fear it soon will be. Your world must not share the same fate as Cybertron. Whole generations lost."

"I know," Sam looked down, hearing and feeling the grief Prime was showing. "And I want to help you, I do. But I am not some alien ambassador, you know? I'm a normal kid, with normal problems. This is Bree's job, what she's been preparing for these last two years, right? Not mine, I am where I'm supposed to be."

"While this is indeed what she has been preparing for, I am well aware that she is not ready yet to speak directly to those in power," Prime knelt slowly, his optics darkening, "You know as well as I, that her past is still restraining her. Her confidence is not strong enough to defend us."

"I know that," Sam scrubbed his hand through his hair, a trait he and his cousin had in common. "I know what her grandmother did, it left scars. I know she isn't ready to stand against politicians and the Secretary of Defense, or the President, or whoever. But what can I do? I'm even younger than her!"

"You do not have her hesitance in speaking her mind," he reminded gently, "You are willing to accept that you must fight others to show your stance. She is slowly reaching that point, but she is not ready yet. I do not know what or why, but I do know that she is holding onto something. Once she lets it go, then she will step forward not only as our Liaison, but also as our Voice."

"I'm sorry, I…" Sam looked away. "I really am."

"Sam," his voice gentled, understanding and compassion making his guilt grow. "Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing." Prime's optics unfocused, as though remembering something. "A very wise Bot once told me that, would you like to know what else she said?"

"Optimus,"

"Some things cannot be denied, nor changed, to suit our preferences. Even though our choices may be limited, we still have a choice. There will always be a time in our lives, that we must choose one way and forsake another. We may wonder at our choices, but if we follow what our Sparks, our hearts, tell us, then we will never have regrets. Do not make any choice if it will cause you regret."

"Who said that?" Sam wondered, pausing, "It sounds like something Bree would say,"

"Indeed," Prime bowed his helm, "It was spoken to me by Head Voice Stargazer, when I became Prime. She alone saw my fears and gave me not only comfort, but confidence. I only met her three times before she was killed, but those three times are forever ingrained into my Spark. You see Sam, all Voices, including your cousin, my Sparkling Sister, see things in different ways than us. They see what is best for one's Spark, or soul, not necessarily what we believe we need. We need you Sam,"

"You're Optimus Prime. You don't need me." Blue optics watched sadly as he left.

"We do, more than you know."

- Until All Are One-

Ravage slunk easily past the oblivious organics, curling around one of their power conductors and tapping into the lines of communication. Using the humans' technology to boost his own signals and range, he quickly contacted his Brother. Exchanging news with his younger sibling, his optics dimmed as he went over the data packets he had sent. Easily multi-tasking, listening to his sibling as well as skimming over his reports, he rumbled out a low purr. He agreed with Frenzy, their Creator needed to view this information as soon as possible. Unfortunately both of them knew he was overwhelmed with various other tasks at the moment. Preparing the Decepticon arrivals, following the Fallen's orders, sending, directing, and relaying other orders, as well as keeping everything moving smoothly, was only accomplished thanks to his great experience in his multi-tasking. They didn't wish their Creator's job on anybot, least of all on him, unfortunately, all of them accepted his reasons for shouldering all the burdens.

_=I miss the old days,=_ Frenzy's mental presence curled closer to Ravage's, seeking comfort.

_=I do as well, Little One_,= the feline mimic vented, _=I remember when Creator was content, before this war, before everything happened,=_

_=Has he found out who did it yet? Who killed 'Gaze?=_

_=The only clues we have detected were what you knew before embarking with Barricade. That the orders for the execution were delivered from part of the Decepticon hierarchy, but unknown to Lord Megatron.=_

_=**He**__ did it, or at least ordered it, we know that!= _

_=Hush, until we have proof, we can do nothing, as you well know.=_

_=But Rave,=_

_=No, you will follow your orders, be a good soldier, until the time is right.=_

_=Fine,=_

_=I mean it 'Zee, don't do anything to get yourself killed!=_

_=I promise, just, make sure 'Wave gets those packets,=_

_=You are well aware that he received them, looking them over on the other servo…=_

_=Please Rave, they're important!=_

_=I promise,=_

_=Thanks=_

_=I need to go, it is time to revive Lord Megatron,=_

_=Be careful!=_

_=I will,=_

- Until All Are One-

Translations:

"Hey, pretty girl. You are looking absolutely fine!"

"Kindly keep your eyes and drool to yourself, I am not interested in a hormone-driven kid,"

"My lovely flower!"

- Until All Are One-

Whooo hoooo! ^^ The action's starting! Finally!

- Until All Are One-

Reviews: 

Angel897: ^^ thanks! I try my best, not only to deliver an original story, but to keep it from being too boring.. ;p


	4. So It Begins

Hi guys, this is **The Fallen's Mistake**, the sequel to **The Past Always Returns, **which is the sequel to** A Change In Plans**. It would probably be best if you read those first, else ya'll will be very confused. ;p

Thanks a bunch to everyone's support, and mah lovely reviewer harem! ^^

- Until All Are One -

Summary: The adventures continue! How will all the changes affect the events of the 2nd movie as we know it? Sage and her family are going to go through some more difficult and troubling events in this sequel to **The Past Always Returns**.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Transformers, else I'd have the kiddie version, and the adult version. LOL Plus I'd not be broke right now. XD

I will have my normal notes, from **A Change In Plans**, at the bottom, instead of at the top. So Cybertronian terms are on the bottom. ^.^

Chapter Warning: minimal torture

- Until All Are One -

Title: The Fallen's Mistake

Chapter Four: So It Begins

- Until All Are One -

_Previously from __**The Fallen's Mistake:**_

_=I mean it 'Zee, don't do anything to get yourself killed!=_

_=I promise, just, make sure 'Wave gets those packets,=_

_=You are well aware that he received them, looking them over on the other servo…=_

_=Please Rave, they're important!=_

_=I promise,=_

_=Thanks=_

_=I need to go, it is time to revive Lord Megatron,=_

_=Be careful!=_

_=I will,=_

- Until All Are One-

Honey-brown eyes opened with a start, her body tensing as her heart started racing. Sitting up, listening intently, Sage wondered why she was abruptly woken up at two in the morning. The house was silent; Frankie and Mojo were already at the boarding kennel, leaving only Barricade, Frenzy, and herself. Most of her belongings had already been sent over to base, so she only needed to pack up her essentials, like her hairbrush, toothpaste, and toothbrush, leaving her with two bags to bring on their trip to the military base. She had packed and repacked multiple times, so she was positive that she hadn't forgotten anything. Sliding out of bed, she grabbed Judy's bat and carefully explored the house. Upstairs, downstairs, creeping from room to room, she finally huffed and sat down in the living room.

Rubbing at her chest, she wondered with a frown as to why she felt so frightened, and why she had a terrible feeling. She moved to stand up, preparing to go back to bed, when her chest burned hotly. Falling to her knees, she bit down on her tongue until the coppery taste filled her mouth, as the burn increased. Delving deep into her Spark, she checked each of her Links. Orion's and Bee's were the most active, while the others were clearly in a restive state. Blackout's Link was acting oddly, but she could tell he was relaxed, but she would almost say there were _two_ vibrations. Ignoring that for the moment, she re-focused on trying to find what was wrong. Bonecrusher's Link was still dulled, but she could feel muddled emotions. Checking them all again, she paused at Orion's again. It was perfectly fine, she wondered, before she felt the tugging again. Slipping past his, she focused on the broken Link that she had purposefully forgotten about. Megatron's Link was shredded, the 'twine' was unravelling with jagged ripped edges, but it was trembling, moving.

She didn't want to Ping it, she wanted to happily ignore it. Her desire was moot however, since only moments after she started examining it, the threads suddenly connected, coiling tightly, as dark emotions flooded her. If she hadn't already been on her knees, she would have been knocked down prone. As it was, she found herself coughing violently on her hands and knees, as Megatron's Link reformed tightly, yanking at her Spark. She clamped down on her fear and panic, hiding it from the other Links, before she woke anyone up. Focusing again on Megatron, she felt his roar of victory, before icy coldness enveloped her. Focusing her eyes, she saw the cloud of white puff out from her lips, while the Witwicky household wavered. Dark water enclosed around her, a tremendous pressure encompassing her. Her fear tripled, as she started gagging, her lungs freezing, despite her body's need for oxygen. It only took him perhaps a minute or two to break the surface, and until he did, she soundlessly screamed in panic and terror. She was so frightened, her fear of being underwater, that she couldn't even Ping any of her Links. When he broke the surface, her lungs expanded, allowing her to greedily suck in oxygen, her right arm screaming in phantom pain, the same arm he had used to send the submarine sailing out of the waters.

Curling up on the floor, she felt freezing and wet, despite the fact that the house was warm, and she was completely dry. In only moments, her vision blurred, seeing the sky, and the ceiling, before inky blackness with endless stars. She felt a different freezing pressure around her, though her lungs didn't freeze up again, thank Primus. She turned to stare up blankly, seeing what he was seeing, as he traveled past several planets. She lost track of time, breathless from the amazing views of space, and the fear of seeing what he was seeing. Only when he landed on what she thought was Saturn, and into a dilapidated ship, did she feel his Spark press against her.

_-Now, now, my Little Spark, did you truly think that I was gone forever?- _he purred, as he transformed and landed. _=Starscream, I'm home.=_ she heard him call out, stunned at realizing he was speaking Cybertronian, and she could understand him perfectly.

_=Lord Megatron, I was so relieved to hear of your resurrection.=_ she saw the familiar form of a Mech approaching. Blinking, she realized he was changed a bit, she could have sworn that he didn't have those markings before, and he wasn't as, pointy, as she remembered.

_=You left me to die on that pathetic insect planet.=_

_=Only to help spawn our new army. The Fallen decrees it! After all, in your absence, someone had to take command.=_ She felt his fury rise, just before he swung back and kicked the Seeker's face-plates, sending him flying back at the powerful blow. She felt his sadistic pleasure, and her horror rose up as his pain reached her. He grabbed him and shoved him up against a column, surrounded by softly glowing pods. Her focus shifted to the tiny flickers of light she could detect inside, wondering why they felt so weak.

_=So disappointing=_

_=Hatchlings! Hatchlings! Careful, fragile!=_ The Seeker struggled briefly, trying not to brush against the delicate pods, but his armor sliced through one, three tiny forms sliding out.

_=Even in death, there is no command but mine.=_ Sage could only listen, feeling her Spark scream, at the pained cries of the little ones before their lights were snuffed out. Reeling back, she felt his Spark grasp her, keeping her tightly pressed close, as he worked on strengthening the Link.

-_LET ME GO!-_ She wailed, struggling, but her Spark was too young, too inexperienced, and he completed the Link, strengthening it, keeping her surrounded in the blazing hot and Artic freezing of his Spark. As she curled inside herself, she felt her Spark unraveling the Link, tiny needle pinpricks attempting to tear through the thick ropes he was lashing her with.

_=My master, I failed you on Earth. The Allspark is destroyed and without it, our race will perish.=_ she tried not listening, but when the familiar voice came from behind them, she shrank back in terror.

_=Oh, you have much to learn, my disciple. The Cube was merely a vessel. Its power, its knowledge, can never be destroyed. It can only transform.= _

_=How is that possible?= _

_=It has been absorbed by the human child. The key to saving our race now lies within his mind.=_ She trembled.

_-Oh, no, Sam!-_

_=Well, then, let me strip the very flesh from his body!= _he growled, _-That's right, your fleshy kin will not escape me, my Little Spark,-_

_-Don't call me that! Only Orion can call me that!- _His dark chuckles made her cringe back.

_=And you will, my apprentice, in time. For millennia, I have dreamed of my return to the wretched planet where I, too, was once betrayed by the Primes I called my brothers. Only a Prime can defeat me, and now, only one remains.= _Sage's eyes widened, her panic only amusing him further.

_=Optimus! He protects the boy.=_

_=Then the boy will lead us to him and revenge will be ours.= _

_=Yes.= _

_=The boy will not escape us. We have him in our sights. Without more Energon, the hatchlings will keep dying.= _Her attention refocused on the Seeker, as he dropped the tiny frames on the ground. She felt his Spark fluttering with grief and pain, despite him hiding it from his leaders. Her Spark brushed out to his, trying to soothe him, and felt his Spark coil around her for a brief moment, his surprise and confusion before gratitude enveloping her.

_-It will be alright,-_ she managed to whisper, before she was abruptly torn free, flying backwards and landing in her body. Inhaling sharply, her back arched off the ground, even as she felt a familiar warmth surrounding her Spark.

_=Is she alright?=_ ShadowFlight's voice never sounded so welcoming, Sage thought tiredly.

_-She's fine, but damn, her Spark needs to stop frightening us like that! That's the second time I had to shove her back into her body!-_ The second voice was familiar but not, as she opened her eyes. ShadowFlight's Spark was crouching over her, large magnificent wings arched up high defensively. On her other side, was a petite girl, also transparent, but looking relatively human-like.

"When did you grow wings?" Sage asked hoarsely, blinking dumbly up at them.

_=I have always had wings, Sparkling,=_ her ruby optics glowed warmly, _=I am a Seeker after all,=_

_-I think she'll be fine,-_ the girl, Sage abruptly remembered was named Callie, placed her hand on her chest, the ache in her chest easing. _–No more projecting yourself! You are untrained, and your Spark is having enough difficulties remaining Attached to this organic shell as it is!-_

"Yes, Miss Callie," the two above her snorted softly, though they both looked relieved.

_-Time for me to go,-_ Callie 'stood' and looked down amusedly. _–I think it's almost time, your Grandma is eagerly awaiting you,-_ Sage's eyes glowed softly.

"Nana Cobalt?" with a nod, the girl vanished without a trace.

_=Get some more recharge, you've been through a lot,= _before she could protest, ShadowFlight's servo rested on her eyes, and she fell into a deep sleep, the encounter with Megatron fading away from her memories for a moment.

- Until All Are One-

Mikaela rubbed Bones down vigorously after filling his bowls, cooing over him. When her phone started ringing, she was startled, knowing that Barricade and Sage had left hours ago. She had called to say one last goodbye only for Sage to be extremely groggy. Nonetheless they had traded goodbyes, and she was left feeling quite alone now. Grabbing her cell, she groaned when she recognized the number, answering it after a moment. She was pissed about being stood up at their first webcam date, and was quite ready to give her boyfriend a dressing down.

"Yes, Samuel?"

_-Hello? Mikaela?- _

"I can't believe you're gonna stand me up on our first web chat date."

_-Something just happened to me, okay?-_

"What, you finally hit puberty?" she scoffed, remembering to send a text to Sage later. No doubt the older brunette would enjoy her retort.

_-No, no, no. Stop laughing. This is serious. Okay. Remember I was telling you about my great-great-grandfather, Archibald Witwicky? Remember? Watch it, watch it, watch…No! Okay, remember how I was telling you… Okay. Can you stop? Watch the foot! Watch your foot!- _She sat up, listening to his panicked tones.

"You're acting stranger than normal Sam!"

_-Mikaela, okay, my great-great-grandfather went on this Arctic mission, right? And he saw Megatron. Megatron zapped him, and he started seeing these crazy symbols. Okay. Well, now I'm seeing them, too. Excuse me.-_ She listened with a frown, trying to understand his rushed explanation. _–I just read a 903-page astronomy book in 32.6 seconds. I had a meltdown in the middle of my class. I am seeing symbols ever since I…-_ When he paused, she tensed, her eyes widening.

"Since what?"

_-Ever since I touched the Cube splinter. Do you have it?-_

"Yeah, I have it. It's in the shop safe. It's fine."

_-Mikaela, do not touch it, okay? Don't touch it.-_

"I'm not gonna touch it. Sam, it's fine. It's locked away. No one knows where it is." She didn't notice the other in the shop with her, listening to her. Her attention was focused completely on Sam. When Bones looked up from his dish, she heard strange clacking noises, and soft curses. "Hold on, Sam," she silently slipped over, careful not to make any noise. Setting her cell down, she grabbed some large tongs as she spotted what looked like a smaller Mech. Racing forward, since he was trying to break into the safe, she grabbed him with the tongs, slamming him down and fumbling with a hand-torch.

"Is that the best you got, huh? Is that the best you can do?" he screamed, wiggling around. She pinned him down, grasping the torch firmly.

"What are you doing here, you little freak?" the torch collided with one optic, making him scream shrilly.

"OW! That's my eye, you crazy bitch!"

"You gonna talk now?"

"I seek knowledge from the Cube!" he fumbled, trying to push his optic back into its socket. "The Fallen demands me!"

"What knowledge?"

"You got the shard, I need the shard. Give me the shard. I need the shard. They're gonna whack me! I'm gonna be dead without that shard!" Mikaela grunted, pinning him down more firmly, thoughts whirling around in her head. "Easy, warrior goddess, I'm just a little salvage-scrap drone!" She pushed the torch away, setting it down and nearly hurling him into a nearby lockable toolbox.

"And I'm your worst nightmare."

"Hey, hey, hey!" She slammed the top down with her foot, locking it quickly. Scooping up her cell, she ran over to grab her bag.

_-What the hell was that?-_ Sam's voice was confused.

"I'll tell you later, just not on an open phone line, okay? I'm gonna get on a plane right now and I'll be there later this afternoon. Just be careful, Sam." She hung up, grabbing her bag, opening the safe and grabbing the flask. Shoving it into her back pocket securely, she packed quickly and grabbed the toolbox. A thought hit her as she dumped everything into one of the cars, pulling her cell out, she dialed another number.

_-Mikki? What's up?-_ Sage sounded horrible, Mikaela thought worriedly. She sounded exhausted and frustrated.

"Listen, I think something's wrong with Sam, I'm catching a plane right now, and I had an unwelcome guest at the shop, looking for something."

_-What! Slag! Alright, we're on the plane already, Cade's getting the pilot to change course, I think we'll arrive at the same time, don't do anything stupid,_-

"You two stay safe too," she hung up, buckling in and speeding to the airport.

- Until All Are One-

Sage groaned softly as she picked her way through the hazardous path of pallets. Her Guardian was snarling, his frame tense, matching her own nervousness. She had been woken up by his holoform, practically carried into his alt, and only really woke up when Mikaela had called, twice. She had felt so exhausted, and a horrible feeling was tugging at her. She felt like she had forgotten something extremely important, but couldn't focus enough to think about it. The second call had woken her up completely however, her alarm suddenly making her wide awake at the wording the younger girl had used. Barricade had eavesdropped of course, and he could heard the muffled Cybertronian cuss words, immediately hijacking into the plane's com link and rattling orders to the stunned pilots.

One of the soldiers had helped her buckle in as they made the adjustments, which she was grateful for, except the turbulence began making her feel extremely nauseated. When the pilot had called back a couple hours later that they were close, she had fumbled through opening the buckles and carefully made her way through the cargo to approach her Guardian. His door automatically opened, letting her crawl inside, as they both listened/eavesdropped to NEST orders. She was too worried to scold him about eavesdropping again. Apparently they weren't the only ones scrambling to reach Sam's location.

_-Major, incoming SOS from the Autobots!-_

_-Multiple Decepticon contacts in motion. Vicinity, eastern United States, sir!-_

_-As in how many?-_

_-Unclear, sir.-_

_-Well, get clear.-_

_**=Autobots, split up, we must intercept the Decepticons. We cannot allow them to reach Sam! Blackout, Arcee, Jazz, remain at base with the Younglings.=**_

_**=Affirmative!=**_

_-The Autobots are on the move, splitting into two teams, sir. They're not answering our calls and they're heading to New York and Philadelphia.-_

_-All right, full weapons deployment. Wheels up in 20 minutes!- _

_-Move it!- _

_-Let's go!- _

- Until All Are One-

Sam breathed a sigh of relief, looking around the room with a brief moment of clarity. He had drawn all over everything in the dorm room, and for a brief moment he winced at what Leo would say. The symbols quickly returned however, making him focus on getting the images out of his mind first. He felt he understood his cousin just a bit, wondering if this was how she felt when she was surrounded by 'hallucinations' when she was younger. She had kept her composure however, as far as he was aware of, but he felt he understood her a bit. Pausing at one section of symbols and glyphs, he froze as he recognized them. Wondering why they looked so familiar, he wracked his mind, trying to remember. It had something to do with Bree, he remembered suddenly. A tattoo? He remembered barely, a tattoo of these scrawling alien letters, circling something. Before he could remember, however, he was drawn back to writing the glyphs.

- Until All Are One-

_=I must go!=_

_=Vessel, wait!=_

_=No! I must go! It is too soon!=_

_=Vessel!= _

CRACK

- Until All Are One-

-Flight 57, welcome to Philadelphia.-

- Until All Are One-

"Cade, please slow down!" Sirens blaring, lights flashing, Sage was grateful that he had a police alt, the only issue seemed to be the pain growing in her chest, and the feel of her stomach flipping around.

- Until All Are One-

"Alicia, _mi amor_, can I interest you in an 18-inch Zookeeper's special? Extra-large, triple cheese, with every known animal as a topping. Basically, I've got, like, 18 inches of meat. Unless you're vegetarian. All right. It's cool. I am, too."

"Sam home?"

"Sam? I think he died, but why don't we check? Here we are."

"Hey! You ever have a song stuck in your head? It's like the worst song ever, but you can't help to whistle it or sing it 'cause it like, repeats itself, repeats itself, repeats itself, repeats itself?" Sam backed up a bit, glancing around the room dazedly. "Kitten calendar, kitten calendar, kitten calendar, kitten calendar…"

"Dude, what the eff?" Neither noticed Alice looking around at the glyphs with a smirk.

"I know you're freaking out. Don't freak out. Don't freak out. Easy fix. Puzzle code in my head. Now it's on the walls. Everything is good." He turned, moving towards one cluster of glyphs. "This is the part that…" a stack of posters and papers collapsed, making him freeze and start shushing everyone. "Okay, what were you saying?" he straightened, the glyphs and symbols ending. He briefly looked around, confused, before staring back at the two. Moments later, as he was stepping down, he saw Alice shove Leo out of the room.

"Alice, I'm horrified you had to see this. Let's go."

"Get out,"

"Wait, wait, wait! Can…can I just sit and watch? I'll…I'll eat my pizza quietly?" Sam wasn't paying any attention to the two, looking around for his cell. He wanted to call Mikaela, and he was also wondering what time it was, since he had lost track of how long he had been in that weird trance. His focus was abruptly torn away from looking for the phone, by Alice stalking towards him.

"Sam, I knew there was something special about you."

"Really?" he spun as Alice started to circle him, something niggling in the back of his head about not turning his back on her. He shook himself, remembering belatedly that she was part of the reason he had missed his date with Mikaela, and thus why she was pissed at him.

"And I know you know what happens when two people in the know get together. They're genuinely amazing in bed."

- Until All Are One-

Chapter 4 is finished. Sorry about the month-long wait, when I was about to edit and post this chapter, I found out a friend of mine died. I couldn't write for a while after that, despite wanting to. Figured writing would help me with the grief, if I could only push myself to do it again. The last week I've managed to get back to writing however, and again, I apologize for not updating sooner.

- Until All Are One-

**Chapter Terms: **

Little Spark: term of endearment that portrays deep affection. Usually only used from a Creator to their own Sparklings and Younglings. However, can also be used between extremely close siblings, example: an older sibling to a younger sibling.

Optimus is the only one who can technically call Sage this, and he usually calls her this instead of her name.

Attached: (**Detach: )** similar to the humans' near-death experience, it happens when one's frame is damaged enough that the Spark fears it will be extinguished. Parts of the Spark will detach and deactivate unnecessary systems, in an attempt to contain the rest of the Spark in a safe environment. This is an extreme case of Stasis Lock, which would be a successful re-containment of the Spark. Stasis Lock can contain a Spark for several days or even weeks, depending on circumstances, while a Detached Spark can last only a few hours or a day at the most.

Vessel: a title of reverence to an as yet unknown sect of Cybertronians, since I won't be revealing their identities yet.

- Until All Are One-

**Review Replies: **

Angel897: Thank you for reviewing again, you're very sweet. ^^

WheeljacksGirl: Wow, thank you, sorry about not updating earlier. I'm hoping it's cuz my writing is improving the more I do it, : ) and that's why. Or perhaps because the little pieces are coming together to reveal the whole puzzle now.


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